Eric LaPrice, Acting Superintendent, National Park Service
On this episode of Our Communiversity Today, host Dr. T. Ramon Stuart welcomes Eric LaPrice, acting superintendent of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. LaPrice shares how a childhood love of camping, scouting, and the outdoors led him to earn the rank of Eagle Scout, study biology and environmental science, and build a career in conservation with the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service.
The conversation explores what it takes to manage the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, along with the Gauley River National Recreation Area and Bluestone National Scenic River. LaPrice explains that overseeing these protected areas is much like managing a small city, with responsibilities that include law enforcement, facility maintenance, environmental protection, budgeting, visitor services and long-term planning.
Dr. Stuart and LaPrice also discuss the park’s growth since receiving its national park designation, the importance of preserving West Virginia’s hunting traditions and the economic impact of increased tourism throughout southern West Virginia. LaPrice closes by highlighting the historic town of Thurmond and the National Park Service’s plans to invest in its future, showing how the region can preserve its history while creating new opportunities for generations to come.
